by K. M. Hodge
The need to not be touched overwhelmed her. She jumped up from her spot on his lap as if she were on fire, and made a beeline for the sink and the dirty dishes. She cleared her throat and began fussing with the breakfast plates, but the memory of the kiss brought a fresh, shy smile back to her face.
I’m a fucking mess.
Her emotions were torn between the light after-kiss feeling and the anxious, fearful one that hung around her neck like a noose, tightening and choking her at the most random and inopportune times. A single tear slid down her cheek.
She suddenly remembered that Alex had said something earlier about Richards calling him last night with important news. It was the perfect topic to transition them out of the awkwardness that had settled in around them like a persistent fog.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What did Richards call about last night?”
He looked up from the spot of spilled coffee he’d been examining, a faint smile on his lips.
“Oh, yeah... God, I completely forgot about that.”
His arm brushed against her as he snatched a rag from the sink. He wiped up the coffee spill and began to fill her in on what had happened with Charles, Jason, and Richards. He told her about the text message that Richards sent early that morning while she had been getting ready.
“Charles is working on a plea agreement, but for now he is in the custody of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
She gasped at the thought of Charles locked up in prison.
Alex huffed. “I’ve never heard of anything ever moving this fast before. Ever!” He washed his cup out and put in on the drying rack with the rest of the washed dishes. “We’re expected at the safe house today.”
The close proximity of his body to hers made her flush. “That’s today?” Her voice wavered. She had begun to feel safe and secure with the Williams, and the thought of leaving the security of their homey four walls and roof frightened her to the core.
“Katherine, what can I do to make this easier for you?”
His question took her a little by surprise, even though she was learning that his modus operandi in all things was absolute directness.
She sighed and her shoulders drooped as she looked up at him. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I’m just having a hard time today.”
He nodded. “Okay, but you’ll tell me when you do know?”
She nodded slowly, unsure about what she felt for him, or what they were to each other. All she knew for certain was that it helped just being near him. She couldn’t explain it to him, though, even if she tried, so she kept it to herself—for now.
***
Illinois, Just South of Chicago
June 10, 2008
Noon
~~~
They had been on the road for nearly an hour and not said a word to one another. Alex didn’t know if she was angry, sad, tired, or who-knows-what, but the wall between them was both tall and wide. Instead of pushing things as he would have in the past, he backed off and let her have her space.
The safe house, a hip condo in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood, belonged to an overseas agent he knew from Iraq. She’d gotten the place cheap through an FBI auction, and when she was posted overseas, she would sublet it to make extra cash.
When everything had gone down with Katherine, Alex had gotten wind that his friend was in between tenants. He’d used back channels to get ahold of her at the Embassy in Kabul for permission to use her home. Thankfully, she was one of the few agents he hadn’t pissed off, and she agreed to rent it out for a few months until she got back in December.
With its many high-tech safety features, it made the perfect hideout. Only Brian and Richards knew the location, unlike the situation before; no one to pay off this time.
As they drove up Lakeshore Drive, Alex pointed to Lake Michigan, which sparkled under the bright summer sun. “Isn’t that beautiful?”
She grunted in agreement.
He squeezed the steering wheel and kept on driving. Finally, they pulled up to their temporary home. “This is it.” He shut off the engine and pocketed the keys.
Katherine nodded and got out of the car. She stood in the V created by the open door and stretched her long, too lean body.
It momentarily mesmerized him. Fuck. I need to stop staring at her like some lunatic. Move, you idiot!
He snatched their bags from the back seat and led the way up the winding walk to their new home for the next few months. The entry required a special code and a key card, which he’d obtained a few days ago. A green light lit up, and he pushed open the door and held it open for her with his leg. He followed after with the things Betty had picked up for their “vacation,” as she had called it.
“What do you think?”
She looked around the open floor plan condo with a look of disinterest. “It’s nice.”
“It has a state-of-the-art security system. The owner dabbles in it as a hobby,” he said.
Her lopsided smile made him sad. The light in her eyes had gone out, and he longed for it to return.
Maybe the surprise will help turn things around.
“Do you want to see what I have for you up on the roof?”
She shrugged. “Okay, but you know I hate surprises.”
“You’re going to love this one, trust me.”
He led her out the secured back entrance and up the private fire escape to the roof.
Katherine gasped. “Oh, Alex! It’s beautiful!”
A hydroponic garden covered the entire roof, with everything in full bloom.
“The owner is a master gardener. It’s all yours to enjoy.” He felt a bit like Oprah on those My Favorite Things episodes.
Katherine flew into his arms and kissed him full on the lips, taking him off guard. “Thank you! Thank you!” she said as tears slid down her cheeks.
He smiled. “Anything for you.”
Her rosy cheeks and shy smile, mixed with the dusting of freckles on her nose, made him want to kiss her again. Instead, he pointed towards the direction from which they’d come. “Why don’t we get settled and then get some lunch?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Once back inside, he picked up their bags and walked through the condo to show her the back bedroom. “This bedroom is yours. It has an attached private bathroom.”
Her perfect bowed lips parted as if to say something, and then shut again.
He tilted his head in concern. “What is it?”
She shook her head and held out her hand to keep him at a distance. “It’s nothing. Thank you.”
Alex bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes. “Katherine—”
“Alex, I’m fine.”
Suddenly, he realized why she might be upset. “Katherine....” He tilted her chin up. “Do you want me to sleep in the same room as you, like before?”
She lowered her gaze and wrung her hands. “Yes,” she whispered.
He sighed and brought her into an embrace, and kissed the top of her head. “Okay, but I call the left side of the bed,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. He was rewarded by a muffled chuckle vibrating against his chest.
He smiled as he let her go. “Want to order pizza and have a picnic on the roof?”
“Yes, that sounds perfect.” She dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
Chapter 17
CIA Safe House
Wrigleyville Neighborhood
Chicago, Illinois
June 10, 2008
8:00 PM
~~~
Alex had just finished washing up their dinner dishes when the doorbell rang, startling Katherine. It pained him to see the small ways in which the attack continued to hurt her. He brushed the small of her back with his fingertips to let her know that he was there and that she was safe.
“I’ll get that,” he said. “It’s probably someone from the Chicago Office with the evidence boxes Richards wants me to go through.”
He tapped on the security camera’s view screen and saw severa
l FBI agents standing at the front door with a dozen or so banker’s boxes.
“Fuck me,” he said under his breath.
Katherine scrunched her forehead in concern. “What’s wrong?”
Richards, you bastard!
“A loophole, it seems.” He clicked open the front door and waved his arm towards the spare bedroom. “Good evening, gentlemen, just put it all in the room on the left.”
Fucking Richards is going to dump all the grunt work on me. Great, just great.
The true intent of the addendum to his leave paperwork had now been made crystal clear. His gaze shifted from the boxes of work back to Katherine. She was worth it, he reminded himself.
“Who did you piss off, exactly?” Her beautiful blue eyes twinkled up at him.
She thinks this is funny!
“I—I think it’s safe to say that Richards is a little pissed at me for taking this leave of absence.” He rubbed his temples with his fingers, feeling a headache coming on.
He walked the men to the door, shaking each of their hands in thanks. When the last of them had left, he fell back against the closed door. “Well, I guess I know what I’m going to be doing for the next ten years.”
“At least you’ll have something to do.” As a witness, she could no longer participate in the investigation.
He tried to be understanding, even if he was a little jealous. “You must be getting bored if you’re bemoaning missing out on grunt work.”
The clock on the wall told him it wasn’t too late to catch the last half of the game.
“Come on,” he said, leading her by the small of her back. “Let’s watch the end of the Tigers game. Hopefully it won’t depress me further.”
***
Mack’s Auto Center
Ocean City, Maryland
June 10, 2008
9:00 PM
~~~
Mack had been working late when he heard the shuffle of feet coming from the back of the shop. It was never a good sound to hear. They always came in through the back as if they were in some fucking Saturday afternoon spy movie.
“Mack, where’s Billy?” the man in the crisp suit asked.
“Billy ain’t here. His boy had a baseball game tonight.” He hoped the man would leave.
“We’ve got a problem. The cops are sniffing around and some FBI agents have gone missing.”
Mack stretched his back before carefully placing his tools back in the lock box. “I don’t know anything about that. I just fix cars. You’ll have to talk to Billy ‘bout that.”
“Talk to me ‘bout what?” Billy sauntered into the shop like he owned it.
Mack could smell the booze on him and noticed his knuckles were raw. The prick was always banging Mack’s baby sister and nephew around. It wasn’t right, but no one said anything. His sister had told Mack on numerous occasions to mind his own damn business and leave Billy alone, so he did.
Whatever business Billy had going with the suit, he wanted nothing to do with it. He walked off to his office and shut the door behind him. The security cam showed his brother-in-law handing the man in the suit a fistful of cash—hush money, no doubt.
Even though Sally wanted him out of her hair, Mack needed to make sure his little sister was okay. He picked up the phone and dialed her number, and when she answered on the first ring, he hung up.
She’s alive. He crossed himself and sat down to work on the books.
***
CIA Safe House
Wrigleyville Neighborhood
Chicago, Illinois
June 16, 2008
8:00 AM
~~~
Katherine and Alex, at the CIA safe house for a week, had settled into a routine and began joking with each other about the realities of sharing a small space. She had lots of small habits and idiosyncrasies that he hadn’t known about despite his extensive profiling. They seemed endearing to him now, but he suspected they would most likely grate on him over time.
For now he was happy. He never thought he would be suited for such a domestic arrangement. Even though it had been just a week, he grew fonder of her by the day. This realization motivated him to keep on track with the busy work, putting in long hours all week in his new makeshift office. The reality of good police work was not as glamorous as it was portrayed on TV, not as simple as just push-pinning a bunch of papers to a cork board and suddenly making grand connections.
Though... that would be pretty fucking awesome.
That morning, he awoke at the crack of dawn to start on the mountain of files. By 8:00 AM he had smoked his way through half a pack of cigarettes, and the room was starting to look like the Scottish Moors.
It had taken him several days to organize the evidence in a way that made sense to him. He had then made several detailed lists, along with a page or two of some theories that he and the team had developed. Today marked the first time he was able to check things off.
Finally, some forward momentum.
Top on the list was to request information from the phone company and some financial institutions, but the thought of creating more paperwork piles made him nauseous.
Might as well get it over with.
Two hours later, he sat back with his head against the oak headboard, and actually dozed off, only to be jolted awake by Katherine knocking on the door. He slid off the bed, careful not to disturb his piles, and opened the door.
The sight of her took his breath away. I’m doing this for her, he reminded himself.
“Hey, how long have you been at it? I didn’t even hear you get up this morning.” Her fresh-faced smile renewed his spirit.
“Before dawn.” He stifled a yawn.
She looked incredible with her sleep-tousled hair, a bright green tank top and very short blue jean cutoffs. He couldn’t think of anything else except kissing her. Her shy smile told him that she might be thinking the same thing.
“What’re your plans for today?”
“Gardening, and I have a Skype therapy appointment after lunch.” She frowned up at him in a way that made him want to spend the rest of the day cheering her up.
“I know you must be bored. I wish you could help me with this mess, though if you did, I don’t know how much work I would get done.” He offered a suggestive rise of his brow.
Her cheeks stained red and she said, “Hurry up and save the day, G-man. This G-woman is getting restless.”
“Well, you had best be moving on then and quit distracting me.”
“All right.” She turned on her heels and walked off down the hall to the fire escape.
He hung his head into the hallway, following her with his eyes. When she looked over her shoulder at him, he winked, making her smile. He heaved a deep sigh and closed the door to his paper-mache cave. Play time would come later.
***
Virginia Peninsula Region Correctional Facility
Williamsburg, Virginia
June 15, 2008
6:00 PM
~~~
Charles shifted in the metal chair as he waited for his lawyer in the prison’s legal counsel room. He had been in prison for a little over a week and was already losing his mind. It helped that his lawyer, one of the top-rated criminal defense attorneys in the state, was also a total knockout.
Penelope Eakins, Esq. walked into the room with a huff and tossed her briefcase on top of the metal table in the middle of the room. “Mr. MacAvoy, I have your plea agreement here for you to sign. They agreed to all of your terms. You’re lucky, and will only have to serve three months prison time and twenty years house arrest.” Charles sighed with relief.
“I also have the other paperwork you wanted worked up. Are you sure you want to go through with it?”
He nodded. “I couldn’t be more certain.”
***
CIA Safe House
Wrigleyville Neighborhood
Chicago, Illinois
June 16, 2008
11:45 PM
~~~
Ale
x was buried knee-deep in the phone and bank records that had been delivered earlier that day by a courier from the Chicago Field Office. So far he had been unable to find a clear enough chain of evidence that would connect A.D. Fullmore to Senator Mitchel or The Syndicate. Although they had Charles’ testimony, they needed irrefutable proof. The team needed him to find something that would make it easy for the prosecution to connect all the dots for the jury.
He was somewhat glad that he couldn’t share with Katherine everything he was discovering, especially the part about her twin brother being the one to order the hit on her in March.
His cell phone rang beside him. Doc. He smiled and put down the papers and picked up his phone. “It’s awful late to be making calls. Is everything okay?”
“I haven’t heard from you in over a week. I got to thinking dead-in-a-ditch thoughts, and couldn’t sleep until I was sure that you still roamed the Earth as a living, breathing being,” she said in an anxious rush that made him laugh out loud.
“Oh, friend, I’m very much alive. I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been buried under mountains of paperwork. I don’t know if Richards told you, but he would only sign my leave paperwork if I allowed him to put in some addendum about helping out with the case or something or other. Next time I need to have my lawyer look that kind of shit over. He sent me fifteen banker’s boxes of evidence to comb through.”
Doc laughed. “That’s what you get for up and leaving us.”
He settled into the bed and rested his head against the fluffy decorative pillows. “I miss you, too.”
“How are things going?”
A smile crept across his face. “It’s going better than I expected. I could get used to this playing house business.”
“How’s Katherine?”
His smile widened and his cheeks grew hot. Just hearing her name did things to him. “She has her good days and her bad days, but she is so resilient. Pretty sure I wouldn’t be doing so well if I was her.”
“You really like her, don’t you?” She sounded genuinely surprised by this.
Why is this so hard for her to understand?
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to tell you this for a while now, Doc.” His voice rose alongside his growing irritation. “Just because I’m a sex addict doesn’t mean that I can’t love someone.”